It has been quite a busy week for The Vampire Diaries star, Ian Somderhalder. He has had an absolutely crazy schedule of filming for the hit show, with a lot of stunt scenes being shot in the middle of the night. He was also spotted out earlier in the week with current main squeeze, Nina Dobrev, looking for that perfect Christmas tree to take home and decorate. Early this morning Ian left Atlanta to go back and celebrate his 34th birthday in LA.

The hot actor has been inundated with birthday wishes via Twitter and he took the time to thank his fans and give them a bit of an update on his plans,

“#HappyBirthdayIanSomerhalder is trending on twitter?! You all are amazing… Truly.I feel your love &energy- Thank you. Shooting till 3am now on a Boeing 777 going to the left coast LaLa for a day of amazing discovery.”

I wonder if Nina is traveling with him. They have kept their relationship pretty private and were actually together for at least a year before even confirming their coupledom. Nina has been knocked down with a severe case of the flu all week, but I’m betting that she wants to spend today with her favorite birthday boy.

Perhaps Ian’s gift next year will be that coveted role in The Fifty Shades of Grey film. Casting has yet to begin but Ian is racking up huge numbers in the fan polls. You have to admit, his intensity and obvious hotness are necessary for the role of Christian Grey and I’m not sure that anyone could pull it off nearly as well!

Are you already an Ian fan thanks to his role on The Vampire Diaries? Would you like to see him try on one of Christian Grey’s suits for size too? Tell us your thoughts on the actor in the comments below!